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The Nigerian presidency today announced the restructuring of the cabinet of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Five serving ministers were dropped and seven new ministerial nominees were named for Senate confirmation. Ten ministers were re-assigned different portfolios.

The restructuring also sees the merger of the Ministry of Tourism with the Ministry of Culture and Creative Economy, scrapping of the Niger Delta ministry to be replaced by Ministry of Regional Development, and the transfer of the functions of the Ministry of Sports Development to the National Sports Commission with the ministry scrapped.

The sacked ministers include Uju-Ken Ohanenye, Minister of Women Affairs; Lola Ade-John, Minister of Tourism; Prof. Tahir Mamman, SAN, Minister of Education; Abdullahi Muhammad Gwarzo, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development; and Jamila Bio Ibrahim, Minister of Youth Development.

The new ministerial nominees and their proposed portfolios are Nentawe Yilwatda, (Minister), Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, (Minister), Ministry of Labour & Employment; Bianca Odinaka Odumegu-Ojukwu, (Minister of State), Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Jumoke Oduwole, (Minister), Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment; Idi Mukhtar Maiha, (Minister), Ministry of Livestock Development; Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, (Minister of State), Ministry of Housing and Urban Development; and Suwaiba Said Ahmad, (Minister of State), Ministry of Education.

The new Ministry of Regional Development will supervise the regional development commissions in the country, such as Niger Delta Development Commission, North West Development Commission, South West Development Commission, and North East Development Commission.

17 months since the inauguration of the Tinubu administration, many commentators have said his cabinet is “incompetent”, amid a potpourri of fiscal and monetary reforms that has unleashed economic hardships on the citizens and sees sharp depreciations in the value of the naira. The president’s cabinet, the largest since 1999, was also considered as unwieldy as the country battles inadequate fiscal revenue. To redress this, a reform to shrink the size of the cabinet, especially the implementation of the Oronsaye Report on consolidation of the government’s ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), was recommended.

If the Senate confirms the new ministerial nominees, it will mean that the cabinet would expand – to 50 ministers – instead of growing smaller.

Reacting to the cabinet restructuring, Jide Akintunde, in his capacity as Director of Nigeria Development and Finance Forum, said: “The President tried to address the key demands for the restructuring of his cabinet to deliver competent governance and fiscal responsibility. But the overall impact of the changes announced today is likely to amount to motion and no movement.”

Some other appointments announced by the presidency include Shehu Dikko as Chairman of the National Sports Commission, and Sunday Akin Dare as Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation.